Sebastian Antoine Salay

Yumi Fasem Taet

Yumi fasem taet [We hold on tight] is a collection of photographs made by 11 migrants to Vanuatu’s capital city, Port Vila. The photographers document the various ways that migrants, known in the national language Bislama as man kam, find ways to make the city feel like home. The exhibition is at the Melbourne Centre for Cities (October 2024 – March 2025) and the National Museum of Vanuatu (November 2024).

The project is a collaboration between University of Melbourne researchers Sebastian Salay and A/Prof Jennifer Day and Vivian Obed and Prescila Meto from Port Vila-based arts organisation, Further Arts. It forms part of Day’s ARC Discovery Project Communities, Kava, Court Orders: The Ways of Possessing the Pacific City. This exhibition is supported by an ABP Research Outreach Grant.

Growing a feeling of home in the city – Pursuit article

Winner – Visual Anthropology Competition 2024 (Australian Network of Student Anthropologists and Australian Anthropological Society)

Images displayed at the Melbourne Centre for Cities
Exhibition launched with a talk about the project
Attendees view images during exhibition launch
Yumi fasem taet exhibition at the National Museum of Vanuatu
Vivian Obed with her photograph in the National Museum of Vanuatu
Sethy Regenvanu hosts the launch event for the exhibition